An analog synth
requires a very stable and well regulated power supply. My very first
synth module was the power supply for the Elekror Formant. I built
that in 1978, when I was 19 years old.I didn't know how to etch
circuit boards back then, so I made the board by taking an unetched
board and grinding away the copper between the traces. The board look
ugly, but this power suppy has been in use ever since, and still
works perfectly.For my new portable case, I wanted something more
compact and I also wanted to retain the old supply in the workshop,
for developing new modules.I decided to design a new circuit
board and use the same circuit as in the Formant. My new board is
less than half the size of the Elektor board. To supply all my
planned modules, I needed at least two units. That also enables me to
put sensitive modules on one and noisy ones on the other.

On the prototype for my
new board, I measured the load regulation to be within 100 mV from no
load to 800 mA load. 100 mV might sound like too much variation for
precision use, but remember that in reality load current doesn't wary
between nothing and full load. Load current mainly change when you
connect a new module. You can easily trim the voltage if it should be
necessary then.Maximum output current is measured to be 930 mA,
but for best regulation, do not to go over 800 mA. With shorted
output, the current is limited to 500 mA.Temperature drift seems
to be no more than a few millivolts, under normal operating
conditions.

On top of the
power supply unit, there is a normal computer fan, which runs on
reduced voltage, from the 10V supply. I used diodes to drop the
voltage below 10V. The heatsinks are inside the channel, which the
circuit boards and the plywood sides form.The banana jacks are
for monitoring the voltages and currents from each unit. By removing
the brass links between the banana jacks, an ampèremeter can
be connected in series with the load.

All my modules use the
same connector for the power. This connector also contain two
channels of keyboard control voltages and gates. These are normally
connected to the two MIDI-to-CV-converters. Above is a pinout plan
for the power connector.

This is the power
distribution bus, which connectors for 24 modules. The two rows
of connectors are connected to the two separate +-15 volt supplies.